Dhamma Talks
The Dharma And The 12 Steps
An important factor in developing the process of awareness is to live a balanced and serene life. During recent posts, Peter emphasized various psychological dysfunctions that hinder this development, and recent posts described how the Dharma can address addictions...
Codependency And The Dharma
Two weeks ago, the posting focused on Addictions and the Dharma; last week's focus was on Relationships and the Dharma. It seems reasonable to discuss how addictions affect relationships in the form of codependency. Peter, who is a Certified Addictions Professional,...
Relationships And The Dharma
In the Upaddha Sutta, the Buddha explains to his attendant Ananda the crucial importance of relationship for realizing the Four Noble Truths (the quote is found in the notes attached to this posting). Modern psychological research validates this belief--we are...
Addiction And The Dharma
This talk continues the exploration of how Buddhist principles and practices can benefit mental health, in this case, addiction. Peter is a Certified Addictions Professional as well as a psychotherapist, therefore he presented a view of the nature of addiction that...
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder And The Dharma
This week's discussion continues to explore the benefits of Buddhist psychology and mental health. Peter began the talk by reading an article on PTSD and the aftereffects of the war in Iraq to demonstrate the currency of this problem in our culture. He described the...
Mike’s Metta Retreat Report
Mike Maldonado recently completed a one week retreat focused on the Brahma Viharas (Divine Abodes), that is, metta (lovingkindness), karuna, (compassion), mudita, (appreciative joy) and upekkha, (equanimity) at the Southern Dharma Center in North Carolina. The...
Anxiety And The Dharma
This talk explores the current understanding of anxiety and how regular mindfulness meditation practices can foster relief. As a mental health professional, Peter included in the notes the various clinical diagnostic criteria and an overview of the various anxiety...
Stress and the Dharma
This week's talk focused on how Buddhist concepts and practices can be beneficially applied to contemporary distress. Peter cited recent research that reports the frequency of stress-related physical and psychological disorders. Peter's many years as a...
Emptiness And Fullness Meditation
This guided meditation accompanies the posted talk on September 20 entitled "Emptiness And Fullness September 20 2017". The meditation proceeds from mindfulness of breathing to a systematic sweeping of investigative attention through the body. As this is practice,...
Emptiness And Fullness
This talk is a continuation from the posting of September 6 entitled "The Five Aggregates And Emptiness". This discussion elaborates on a guided meditation, posted separately, that facilitates how to use body sweep meditation to cultivate a primary, holistic...
